William Cecil Duncan (1824 - 1864) was an American clergyman. In 1847 he moved to New Orleans and established Southwestern Baptist Chronicle, a religious weekly. Among his works are "Life of John the Baptist," based on a monograph by Von Rohden (New York, 1853);"History of the Baptists for the First Two Centuries of the Christian Era" (1857); and "The Tears of Jesus" (1859). A Brief History of the Baptists and Their Distinctive Principles and Practices is written in a style that is easily understood by the layperson. It is an excellent history of the beginnings of the Baptist denomination.